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If you like white chicken chili, then you’ll love this zesty, flavorful, dump-and-bake chicken chili casserole! You don’t even have to pre-cook the rice or the meat. Just stir together the raw ingredients and pop the dish in the oven!
Table of Contents
I regularly hear from so many of you who love my dump-and-bake recipes for easy weeknight dinners. I have a vast collection of these meals, like this dump-and-bake chicken broccoli rice casserole, dump-and-bake ham and cheddar casserole, and dump-and-bake chicken alfredo pasta casserole. This easy white chicken chili casserole with rice has quickly become a new favorite!
An Easy Twist on White Chicken Chili
This slow cooker white chicken chili is one of our favorite meals for chilly days. I decided to take those same delicious flavors, but turn them into an easy, hands-off, dump and bake chicken and rice casserole. The recipe works so well because all of the ingredients simmer together in the baking dish, coming together in the most delicious way.
The creamy sauce is seasoned with classic chili spices like chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper. Veggies like corn, tomatoes, and green chilies bulk up the dish, while rice and white beans cook in the same pan with the chicken. Sprinkle a bit of cheese on top and you’ve got a chicken chili bake that will make the whole family smile!
Do you have to cook rice before putting it in a casserole?
While most casserole recipes call for cooking the rice before mixing it into the dish, this particular recipe is designed specifically for uncooked rice. That means that you do not boil the rice in a saucepan on the stovetop before adding it to the casserole dish. Instead, the rice cooks right in the oven with the rest of the ingredients. This requires extra liquid in the pan (since the rice absorbs a lot of liquid as it cooks), and extra cooking time to make sure that the rice is tender.
The Best Chicken to Use in a Dump-and-Bake Casserole
You have a few different options when it comes to the chicken that you use in this chili bake. The recipe calls for raw, boneless, skinless chicken; however, you can also use cooked, shredded chicken if you prefer.
I like boneless, skinless chicken thighs, since the dark meat has more flavor and stays tender and juicy over the long baking time. If you prefer white meat, then you can also use boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenderloins. Finally, if you don’t like the idea of using raw meat, you can sub with about 2 cups of cooked, diced or shredded chicken (such as the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken).
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of this chicken and rice casserole. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Condensed cream of chicken soup: creates a creamy sauce that binds the casserole. If you don’t love the flavor of chicken soup, you can substitute with cream of celery soup or cream of mushroom soup.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: the liquid that thins the sauce and cooks the rice.
- Seasoned salt: such as Lawry’s brand. Feel free to substitute with regular salt if that’s what you have available.
- Chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper: classic spices that give the casserole that chili flavor.
- Navy beans: white beans are a traditional addition to white chicken chili. You can use cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, or small white beans instead.
- Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies: use the mild version if you prefer, or pick the hot variety for a really spicy dish.
- Mexicorn: a blend of corn, red bell peppers, and green bell peppers. You can sub with a small can of plain corn, or use about 1 ½ cups of frozen corn that’s thawed.
- Long grain white rice: do not substitute with brown rice, instant rice, or any other variety of rice, since the amount of liquid and the total cooking time are designed specifically for uncooked white rice.
- Chicken: cut up raw, boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast into bite-size pieces. The meat will cook in the oven along with the rice.
- Cheese: the perfect topping for white chicken chili! Use any good melting cheese that you like — sharp Cheddar, Mexican blend, Colby, Colby-Jack, mozzarella, Pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack cheese.
How to Make Chicken Chili Casserole
Easy chicken rice casserole recipes are always family-friendly options for busy nights, and it doesn’t get much quicker than this dump-and-bake version! I’ve included detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick overview:
- Whisk together the liquid and seasoning in a greased 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
- Stir the rice, chicken, beans, and veggies into the soup mixture.
- Cover and bake until the rice is tender.
- Sprinkle cheese over top and pop it under the broiler.
- Garnish with your favorite chili toppings, and serve!
What to Serve with White Chicken Chili Casserole
Set out some toppings and let your family members garnish their individual bowls with their favorite flavors. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Chili Toppings
- Grated cheese
- Sour cream
- Diced avocado
- Fresh cilantro
- Sliced green onion or minced red onion
- Hot sauce
- Sliced jalapeño peppers
- Lime wedges
- Sliced black olives
- Crushed tortilla chips or other corn chips (like Fritos)
Sides that Pair Well with Chili Chicken Casserole
Here are some easy sides to pair with with the chicken and rice casserole:
- Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Sour Cream Cornbread, Jalapeno Cheddar Mexican Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
- Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Bread, Cranberry Muffins, or Apple Muffins
- Crusty French Baguette, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Southern Caesar Salad, Wedge Salad, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Fried Corn
- Southern Fried Apples, Baked Apple Slices, or Applesauce
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Fritos chips
- Saltine crackers
- Easy Homemade Guacamole with tortilla chips and salsa
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: You can assemble the casserole a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking. The rice will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits, so you may need to decrease the baking time slightly. You don’t want to overcook the casserole or you’ll end up with gummy, mushy rice.
- Storage: This chicken and rice casserole is best enjoyed immediately from the oven. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The rice will dry out a bit as it sits, so you may need to stir in some additional broth or milk when you reheat the dish.
- I do not recommend freezing these leftovers, as rice tends to get mushy when thawed.
- How to Reheat: Cover and reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in a microwave for 1-2 minutes on high power.
Recipe Variations
- If you don’t want to start with raw chicken in this dish, you can sub with about 2 cups of cooked, shredded or diced chicken (such as the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken).
- Instead of the beans, add extra corn, tomatoes, or chicken to the casserole.
- Swap out the cream of chicken soup and use cream of celery soup or cream of mushroom soup instead.
- Use Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, or small white beans in lieu of the navy beans. You can even use black beans or pinto beans.
- If you can’t find Mexicorn, you can use a small can of regular corn or about 1 ½ cups of frozen corn (thawed and drained).
- Add buttered Ritz crackers, crushed tortilla chips, buttered seasoned bread crumbs, or buttered panko breadcrumbs if you like a crunchy topping.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The cooking instructions remain the same.
- For even more flavor, make it a green chile chicken casserole by stirring in a small can of chopped green chiles.
Tips for the Best Chicken Chili Casserole Recipe
- I like uncooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, since the dark meat has more flavor and stays more tender and juicy than chicken breast. If you prefer the white meat, use boneless, skinless chicken breast.
- This recipe is specifically designed and tested with uncooked long grain white rice. Do not substitute with brown rice, wild rice, or instant rice — all of which require different amounts of liquid and different cooking times.
- Make sure to cover your dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam escapes during cooking. The rice needs to absorb the liquid as it bakes.
- The total cooking time will vary on a number of factors, including the type of pan that you use and your individual oven. Glass or ceramic baking dishes will take longer than metal pans, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the rice. The rice should be tender and much of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overcook the casserole, or the rice will become mushy and gummy.
- Fluff the rice with a fork — do not stir with a big spoon, which can compact the grains and yield a dense texture.
More Dump-and-Bake Chicken Casserole Recipes
Dump and Bake Chicken Alfredo Pasta Casserole
48 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Cheesy Chicken and Rice
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Mushroom Casserole
50 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake White Chicken Chili Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, not diluted (I used Campbell’s Healthy Request)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s brand
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (or sub with sweet paprika)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (10 ounce) can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
- 1 (11 ounce) can Mexicorn (or regular canned corn), drained (or sub with 1 ½ cups frozen corn)
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, or Mexican blend cheese
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh cilantro, avocado, sliced green onion
- Optional, for serving: cornbread
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°F). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add condensed soup, broth, chili powder, seasoned salt, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and cayenne to the prepared dish. Whisk until completely combined.
- Stir in beans, tomatoes and green chilies, corn, uncooked rice, and raw chicken.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until much of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
- Use a fork to fluff and stir the rice. Sprinkle cheese on top of the casserole. Place the dish under the broiler for a couple of minutes, just until the cheese melts.
- Garnish with optional toppings and serve!
Notes
- I like uncooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, since the dark meat has more flavor and stays more tender and juicy than chicken breast. If you prefer the white meat, use boneless, skinless chicken breast.
- This recipe is specifically designed and tested with uncooked long grain white rice. Do not substitute with brown rice, wild rice, or instant rice — all of which require different amounts of liquid and different cooking times.
- Make sure to cover your dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam escapes during cooking. The rice needs to absorb the liquid as it bakes.
- The total cooking time will vary on a number of factors, including the type of pan that you use and your individual oven. Glass or ceramic baking dishes will take longer than metal pans, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the rice. The rice should be tender and much of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overcook the casserole, or the rice will become mushy and gummy.
- Fluff the rice with a fork — do not stir with a big spoon, which can compact the grains and yield a dense texture.
There’s only two of us, so I’m wondering if I could make the whole amount, but only took half of it and freeze the other half to cook another day. Do you think that would work?
Hi Pat! We wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe. However, you could bake the whole thing and store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days!
Thank you so much! Flavor was awesome! I changed a few things- I only had ranch beans so I drained (not rinsed) them and I didn’t have any corn so I added 1/4 c raw onions. I will definitely make this again! Delicious!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it and were able to make it work for you!
No Mexicorn at the store so I got a 15 ounce can of regular corn. Can I use all of it? If I use frozen corn, do I need to thaw it?
I tend to like my food somewhat spicy so I was thinking of doubling some or all of the spices. I am using a regular can of Rotel and low-sodium cream of chicken and chicken broth. What do you think? Thanks!
The entire can of regular corn should be fine! If you use frozen corn, I would thaw it first if you have time (that way you won’t have to increase the total cooking time). Definitely feel free to double the spices if you like. It will be nice and zesty, which you probably will enjoy!